UFC legend Jon Jones has undeniably paved the way for many aspiring athletes to chase their dreams in the Octagon—including some of his old college friends who went on to join the UFC ranks. While his relationship with former roommate Colby Covington has since soured, his bond with Aljamain Sterling appears to have stood the test of time. The former bantamweight champion recently opened up about the profound impact the heavyweight champion had on his journey in MMA.

The two first crossed paths at Morrisville State College where they quickly became friends. At the time, Jones was a sophomore and Sterling a freshman, just beginning to find his footing. Although ‘Funkmaster’ later transferred to another school just after one semester, the impression Jones left on him never faded. Inspired by Jones’ work ethic and discipline, Sterling became laser-focused on carving out his own legacy in mixed martial arts.

But once he witnessed Jones, who already had a few UFC fights under his belt, be the party animal that he was back then, Sterling was lost for words. He would even get an offer from the reigning UFC champion to join in. Afraid of failing in an upcoming fight, Sterling decided not to accept Jones’ offer. But the heavyweight champion insisted that he was stressing out a bit more than he needed to. And those words had a profound effect on the former 135lbs kingpin.

“[When I started my MMA career] I’m thinking I have to live a life of a monk. I got to be super disciplined. I’m thinking this is what Jon Jones is doing… And then I see him at the bar, maybe two or three fights in the UFC. He’s probably got a fight like a week later, and he’s getting smashed… and he’s offering me a drink,” Aljamain Sterling stated in a video on his YouTube channel. “I’m like, ‘No, I have a fight in 5 weeks’. [Jones said], ‘Wait. You’re fighting like tomorrow, bro.’ Like, I’m confused. Like, what the hell is happening right now? And this changed my mindset.”

As much as the fight game is about one’s physical capabilities, Jon Jones taught Aljamain Sterling how to excel in the mental aspect of the game. In addition to the training ahead of any fight, he claimed to have learned about the importance of self-belief, claiming it to be the “most important” factor for fighters to look out for.

“Then I realized it came down to mental. Like, if you believe that one drink or those two nights out on two and a half weeks apart is going to tear down an entire training camp, then maybe you just didn’t prepare enough,” Aljamain Sterling added. “I think, for some people, the mental side, the mental aspect of it, being in the right state of mind, is the most important.”

Well, Jon Jones has proven again and again that he’s the best, and Aljamain Sterling may not be wrong. Remember when he said he defeated Daniel Cormier after a “weekend of c—–e?” The immense self-belief coupled with his physical gifts helped him defeat one of the all-time greats in the UFC. It’s no surprise that Jones excels in the mental aspect of the fighting game because he mentioned having taken an extra step from an academic point of view to excel in his fighting career. Here’s what he had to say!

Jon Jones studied sports psychology after signing with the UFC

Jon Jones has never lost a fight clean. He’s got only one blemish in his record, which was by disqualification for his then-illegal 12-6 elbow on former UFC fighter Matt Hamill. If we keep that aside, he’s beaten the cream of the crop in the UFC, especially in the light heavyweight division. But how has he been able to do it? It’s not like he was never scared in his UFC career, as Jones once admitted to being intimidated by Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson before he beat him at UFC 135. Well, the secret lies in the fact that ‘Bones’ identified the need for him to be a successful MMA fighter during his early days in the UFC.

For that, he took up sports psychology, which he claimed helped him grow and become the champion fighter he is today, and even changed his attitude. “Learning sports psychology took things to a whole new level. It’s gotten to a point where I’m looked at as arrogant. I can’t control that, and I’m not going to be apologetic for it. It’s the way I need to be [to be successful]. I need to believe,” Jon Jones told ‘Yahoo Sports back in 2013.

Jon Jones is undoubtedly going to end up becoming a Hall of Famer in Dana White’s promotion, but do you think it will be the same for Aljamain Sterling? Let us know in the comments section below.